This week I have had a houseful of guests. In fact, our family which consists of myself, my husband and my two children have been sleeping together in one bedroom. After about three nights of consistenly being woken up all night by various coughing, snoring, muttering, outright yelling, flailing etc. I would say that we are all at our limits. I have a great way to cure the feeling of fatigue and stress.
If you go for a brisk walk you will definitely feel better. Walking not only increases the blood flow in your body but it stretches out your muscles and reduces tension. Even if you do not feel loose and stress free, the increased oxygen and circulation benefits alone will help you get on your way to a positive frame of mind.
Even if you are tired and feel like there is no chance for any exercise, take a walk anyway. You will not regret it.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Ten Tips for Dealing with Lost Baggage
Last summer, my husband and I lost our luggage on the way to Venice, Italy . When we figured out on day one that we had no luggage and probably would not have any luggage for the duration of our trip due to a major conveyor belt snafu in London Gatwick. Upon further inspection of the situation, we found out that 30 million pieces of bags were temporary lost last year and 200,000 bags were never reunited with their owners.
At that moment, I remembered seeing a tv show about a very successful entrepreneur who founded a business in 1970 called Unclaimed Baggage. The very successful business purchases the unclaimed luggage from the airlines and resells over a million items each year. I could just see the entire contents of my baggage up for sale at one of the Unclaimed Baggage locations.
Our saving grace was that we had packed a carry on bag with a few days clothes, our bathing suits, an extra pair of shoes and my jewelry and makeup. This was the best thing that we could have done because it gave us a head start on trying to figure out how to we were going to outfit ourselves for the next 11 days.
Here are ten tips that will help you in the event that you lose your luggage on your next trip:
1. Always pack a few clothing items and essentials in your carrry on bag.
2. If your luggage does not show up on the baggage carousel, report the lost luggage immediately to the lost bags desk in the airport. Even if the line is long, go ahead and report it anyway so that you can get a claim number.
3. Once you have a claim number, find a place with internet access and log on to the airline website and start the baggage retrieval process immediately. We found that the lost bags desk was an independent company, not associated with the airlines or airport. It is better to have the relationship directly with the airline carrier and have them working to find it rather than a third party service.
4. Purchase just a few key pieces of clothing and have them dry cleaned, laundered or pressed at night. It is best to purcase a few items and have them laundered or dry cleaned at night by either the hotel or local service. Having fresh pressed clothing always looks great (even better than several wrinkled outfits).
5. . Before you go on your trip, make a list of any valuable items such as handbags, shoes or clothing that you pack in your suitcase in the event that you need to claim the luggage contents.
6. Before you purchase any items, check with your hotel. Often times, they offer basic toiletries at no charge.
7, If you purchased your airline tickets or hotel on your credit card, call the credit card to inquire about any benefits that they offer for lost luggage. For example, we found out that if you opt in for luggage protection with American Express at the time you purchase tickets, they offer a beefit that covers $300 per person if your luggage does not show up within the first two hours.
8. If you are in a foreign country and you ask the hotel concierge or front desk how to get to the nearest drug store or clothing store and they point you to the city center or tourism area, go out on foot and ask some locals or just walk a few blocks. You will probably find some better priced options.
9. If your luggage is not at your home when you return, start the claim process immediately with the airline because it takes several weeks to process.
10. Last but not least, do not let your lost luggage ruin your trip or vacation. Consider it like an adventure!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Is the Holiday Season Supposed to be Fun?
After taking care of two children under the age of 5, a very busy husband, an entire household and a crazy job, when is there time to get ready for the holidays, purchase a zillion gifts, send out Christmas cards, wrap and ship gifts, go to holiday parties, visit Santa etc..? Wow.
Whenever I start to feel like my head is going to shoot off of the top of my head, I have to stop and remind myself that the holidays is supposed to be fun. I have to literally tell myself to settle down and try to provide myself some reassurance that somehow it will all magically get done.
If you have to ship packages, I have figured out that if you go up to the post office after it is closed at night and use the automated machine, you can completely avoid waiting in those frustrating lines. One thing that you have to remember is that the size of the box has to fit into the drop box. I would check it out at your post office before you pack things up. You can buy stamps through the machine too. It worked for me last night. I can check that one off the list.
Another tip is that if you want to get things done, put on the Polar Express movie for your kids. It will buy you at least an hour of uninterrupted time to finish up your project.
Whenever I start to feel like my head is going to shoot off of the top of my head, I have to stop and remind myself that the holidays is supposed to be fun. I have to literally tell myself to settle down and try to provide myself some reassurance that somehow it will all magically get done.
If you have to ship packages, I have figured out that if you go up to the post office after it is closed at night and use the automated machine, you can completely avoid waiting in those frustrating lines. One thing that you have to remember is that the size of the box has to fit into the drop box. I would check it out at your post office before you pack things up. You can buy stamps through the machine too. It worked for me last night. I can check that one off the list.
Another tip is that if you want to get things done, put on the Polar Express movie for your kids. It will buy you at least an hour of uninterrupted time to finish up your project.
The Easiest Holiday Dessert
This past week I was put to the test when my neighborhood association reminded me that I had signed up to bring a dessert to the annual holiday party. I was right in the middle of shuttling my children to and from kindergarten, preschool and trying to work in between my family obligations.
My husband suggested that I go to a bakery and just drop the $50 plus that it would cost to buy a platter of treats. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
It was right then that I hatched the idea for a donut hole tree. Even though people might not want to admit it, everyone loves donut holes. After I went to purchase all the neccesary items, the cost came out to around $10 and approximately 30 minutes time.
Here are items that you will need to pull this off:
- foam cone from craft store
- toothpicks
- wax paper
- marsh mellows, blueberries, gum drops to serve as ornaments
- plate
- 5 dozen donut holes, any kind (6 or 7 dozen for a large cone)
When I went to the donut store, they only had blueberry and glazed donut holes so I had to go with what they had. I decided to use blueberries and white mini marsh mellows as my tree ornaments so it would provide contrast next to the dark blueberry donut holes. If the donut store would have had powdered donut holes, I would have used red and green gum drops.
1. The first step is to wrap the foam cone in wax paper and trim it to fit.
2. Place the wrapped cone on a plate (I put red paper heart doillies on the plate for decoration).
3. Starting from the base, position the donut holes around the bottom and then get toothpicks and push the toothpicks through the donut hole and through the foam tree pushing the toothpicks all the way in.
4. Continue doing rows until you get all the way to the top. Leave the very top of the foam tree open so that you can use it to hold the tree in place when you place the ornaments.
5. Place toothpicks in the open spaces and place the marsh mellows or gumdrops on end of the toothpicks. Do not push the toothpicks all the way in. Having the ornaments stick out a bit further than the donut holes creates some dimension.
6. Continue placing ornaments all the way around and do not worry about creating a repeating pattern. Random looks good.
7. When you are finished, place a donut hole on top to finish off the tree. I also placed a sprig of our Christmas tree on the top for garnish.
When people use their hands to pull off a donut hole, the toothpicks will stay in the foam. This project will yield a very cool, unique treat that everyone will enjoy. Believe it or not, there is a very fancy French dessert with the same concept that uses cream puffs instead of donut holes and it is called a Croquembouche.
Tips for Making a Family Video
My memories of watching family holiday or special occasion video footage are not that great because the videos were all just random footage. It was almost as if the person with the video camera had no idea about the meaning of the video or how they would like it to look when it was finished. For example, the footage of my mother at Christmas in 1974 is the best but the camera zooms by so fast that I can not really see her 70’s hair do or her amazing one piece bell bottom jump suit. I have other memories of monotonous footage where the family is doing some activity like eating or just standing around talking and I can not exactly hear or figure out what they are saying. What I really want to see when I watch family videos from the past are the amazing moments that happened at the event.
Even someone who is not an expert at shooting or editing video can turn out a very memorable video if they follow just a few tips. Really the first place to start is to think about what you want the video to look like when it is finished. If you are going to be telling a story about a day, weekend or event, think in advance about the types of activities you would like to capture on film. Also, think about the timing of when things will happen so you will be prepared for each important filming opportunity.
There are some common things that people like to see in family videos but truly each family is unique. Here are some examples of things that turn out well on film and are interesting to watch: posterity- having the elders in the family talk about the past, family traditions, food if the recipe has meaning, memorable or exciting gifts, funny stories, meaningful quotes or thoughts about what the holidays mean and skits that the children might put on for the family.
How you shoot the video footage is also a very important element in making a great family video. If it is an important, once in a lifetime event, remember to bring extra batteries and tapes just in case. The first thing to do is take some shots of the setting before the family arrives. When people arrive, it is best to always set the scene with a wide shot so the viewer has a frame of reference as to where the event is taking place.
The following are ten tips to consider when filming a video:
1. Use the strategy of starting off with a wide shot then move to a mid shot and end with a tight shot. This is a great way to tell a story.
2. As an alternative, use a reverse build strategy where you start tight, move to mid and end wide. This leaves the viewer in suspense.
3. When filming children, remember to get down on their level so you can catch the right perspective and pick up their voices on camera.
4. Do not overuse the zoom feature as it can make the footage blurry and unsteady. It is safer to keep the shot wide and physically move closer to the action.
5. Try to find even light and avoid shooting into bright sources of light like a window.
6. When filming people at an event, make sure you focus on each person for the count of three so the viewer can really see each person. You can always edit out but you can not add in.
7. Speak only if you have to explain something or ask a question. There is nothing worse than having a narrator talking constantly through a family video.
8. Have a partner take some great photographs of the event so you can integrate them into the video.
9. Give the camera to one of the younger members of the family and ask them to get some footage. This will integrate an interesting perspective into your video.
10. If you are conducting holiday interviews, consider using a tripod so that the camera is steady.
If you think in advance how you want to tell the story of your family event, the rest should fall into place. In addition, family videos serve as an excellent genealogy tool for those in the future trying to learn about their past. Tackling a family video project can be an extremely fun and rewarding experience and I wish the best of luck to you in your next video endeavor.
Even someone who is not an expert at shooting or editing video can turn out a very memorable video if they follow just a few tips. Really the first place to start is to think about what you want the video to look like when it is finished. If you are going to be telling a story about a day, weekend or event, think in advance about the types of activities you would like to capture on film. Also, think about the timing of when things will happen so you will be prepared for each important filming opportunity.
There are some common things that people like to see in family videos but truly each family is unique. Here are some examples of things that turn out well on film and are interesting to watch: posterity- having the elders in the family talk about the past, family traditions, food if the recipe has meaning, memorable or exciting gifts, funny stories, meaningful quotes or thoughts about what the holidays mean and skits that the children might put on for the family.
How you shoot the video footage is also a very important element in making a great family video. If it is an important, once in a lifetime event, remember to bring extra batteries and tapes just in case. The first thing to do is take some shots of the setting before the family arrives. When people arrive, it is best to always set the scene with a wide shot so the viewer has a frame of reference as to where the event is taking place.
The following are ten tips to consider when filming a video:
1. Use the strategy of starting off with a wide shot then move to a mid shot and end with a tight shot. This is a great way to tell a story.
2. As an alternative, use a reverse build strategy where you start tight, move to mid and end wide. This leaves the viewer in suspense.
3. When filming children, remember to get down on their level so you can catch the right perspective and pick up their voices on camera.
4. Do not overuse the zoom feature as it can make the footage blurry and unsteady. It is safer to keep the shot wide and physically move closer to the action.
5. Try to find even light and avoid shooting into bright sources of light like a window.
6. When filming people at an event, make sure you focus on each person for the count of three so the viewer can really see each person. You can always edit out but you can not add in.
7. Speak only if you have to explain something or ask a question. There is nothing worse than having a narrator talking constantly through a family video.
8. Have a partner take some great photographs of the event so you can integrate them into the video.
9. Give the camera to one of the younger members of the family and ask them to get some footage. This will integrate an interesting perspective into your video.
10. If you are conducting holiday interviews, consider using a tripod so that the camera is steady.
If you think in advance how you want to tell the story of your family event, the rest should fall into place. In addition, family videos serve as an excellent genealogy tool for those in the future trying to learn about their past. Tackling a family video project can be an extremely fun and rewarding experience and I wish the best of luck to you in your next video endeavor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
